Sunday, August 21, 2016

'Fooding around in Mysore, India' by K.J.S.Chatrath

English has become so easy, thanks to Americans. Just add  'ing' to a noun and it becomes a verb. 'Food' - 'fooding'. The purists, of course, call it the murder of English language. Anyway, lets go back to food. And reach Mysore, the lovely city of Karnataka. It is well connected with various modes of transport- including the railways.

Yes, Indian Railways is one of my favourite modes of travel in India- travelling by air comes last, when there is no other alternative. On reaching Mysore station one comes out of the building and keeps visiting the Railways Museum there for another day.

From station one goes towards the Jawagal Srinath  Circle. It is gratifying to see a living legend being honoured by his home town. From the Circle take a left turn. It is a busy road with shops on both sides of the road.

Taking the left side of the road and after about 15 shops one spots a modest signboard 'Dosa Point'.


On getting in, one is welcomed by a receptionist-cum-cashier and a menu board mentioning the price of each snack. This photo was taken in 2013 so one presumes that the prices would have got revised upwards by now.

Order a butter-masala-dosa and see the same being prepared in front of you by an apron clad handsome young man.



And the dosa that one gets is just incredible. I rate it as the best dosa that I have had visiting town after town in South India for years.

The vadas are not to be missed either.
 

Next day I tried a 'thali meal' at a slightly upmarket restaurant. It was just OK...OK. I wish the fancy restaurants would spend more energies in improving the standard of food that they serve rather than worrying too much about making the place look beautiful. I for one, go to a restaurant to have good food and not to appreciate the so called ambience - which works out to electrical fittings and fancy dresses of the bearers. But I am always shouted down by my friends on this.


  Mysore has good availability of excellent fruits too.



Just a few kilometers out of Mysore town, I had a plate of standard Idli-Vada in a roadside restaurant on the road towards Gomateshwara. The idlis were soft and fluffy, vada crisp and piping hot and the two chutneys  as sweet and spicy as I love them to be. 

Yes, I am planning another leisurely trip across various towns of Karnataka this winter to try out new 'fooding' places. Want to come?